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Islamic State Declared in Northern Mali

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The two rebel groups that seized control of the northern half of Mali announced Saturday that they had agreed to formally merge their movements, a leader who signed the agreement said.

The leader, Alghabass Ag Intalla of the Ansar Dine group, which wants the newly declared nation to be an Islamic state, confirmed that his movement was joining with the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, a secular rebel group led by Tuareg separatists. They signed the agreement in the town of Gao, in the north, on Saturday following celebratory gunfire.

“I have just signed an accord that will see an independent and Islamic state where we have Islamic law,” Mr. Ag Intalla said.

As a result of the coup on March 22 in Bamako, Malian army resistance in the north collapsed and rebel groups took over in the north, an area the size of France, forcing Malian government troops to flee south. Until now, the two had been in disagreement because Ansar Dine wanted to impose Shariah law, something the secular N.M.L.A. had been resisting. During the rebel advance, residents said there were turf wars, with the fighters occupying different areas of the cities.

Correction: May 27, 2012

An earlier version of this article incorrectly that rebel groups staged a coup in Bamako, Mali’s capital, on March 22. The coup was staged by Mali army officers.

A version of this article appears in print on May 27, 2012, on Page A7 of the New York edition with the headline: Islamic State Declared in Northern Mali. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe